Page 14 of Saved By My Buyers

“I will always be anywhere Dahlia needs me,” I tell her with a lazy shrug. “You’ve shown how awful of a mother you are to me, and I would have called the department of children and families in New England if I’d thought there was a sliver of a possibility of them giving me custody.”

“You’ve always been obsessed with her,” Lucia sniffs. It’s amazing how well beauty hides the ugliness underneath. I don’t think Alvin ever saw it before he died. “It’s disgusting and revolting the way you fawn over her.”

“You mean the way I show up when Dahlia is left alone for six months by her mother?” I counter. “Or the way I spent time with her when you and Alvin were too busy when I came to visit? It’s not disgusting to love someone as if they were yours. Does your new husband know what a negligent mother you are?”

“Just go away, Jack. Go back to wherever it is you live,” she says petulantly, flicking her fingers at me. Her engagement ring sits over her wedding ring, a gaudy rock. I feel a rush of anger. That's what Lucia hit her daughter across the face with when she expressed her displeasure over her wedding ceremony.

“I don’t know if I told you, but I live in Detroit now,” I say with a grin, loving the way her mouth goes slack. “Yep, so I’m going to come by once a week to check on my girl.”

“She’s not yours, she’s my daughter, pendejo,” she growls.

I’m definitely getting under her skin. What I don’t want is for that to make her look for someone innocent to hurt, so I’ll rein in my glee that she’s realizing I’m not fucking going away.

“Whatever you say, Lucia,” I murmur instead. “I don’t want to see that you’re hurting Dahlia, which means do not hurt her. It doesn’t mean just get better at hiding the bruises. Is that understood? I saw what you did during the ceremony.”

“She kept fidgeting,” Lucia sighs. “If Dahlia could learn to be well-mannered, I wouldn’t have to constantly correct her.”

“She’s a great kid,” I say, not understanding what the problem is. “I think you need to realize that she’s a teenager, Lucia. Your vision of perfection is never going to be attainable. Stop setting her up to fail.”

She scowls at me as Bronwyn and Dolly step out of the house, laughing and chatting. Dolly’s shoes are back on her feet, but hopefully the small break helped her. They don’t see Lucia in the shadows as they continue to walk, and I push away from the house to follow.

“Are you forgetting me?” I tease as I walk after them. Lucia slips into the house, ensuring they never see her, and I shake my head.

We’re going to have some real problems if she doesn’t figure her shit out. The girls call me a growly guard dog now, I promise that I have a bite that’s worse.

Dahlia

I’m exhausted. It was so nice to see Jack at the wedding. He stayed until Bronwyn and I went into the house, stating that he wanted to make sure we got inside alright. I can’t believe Mom actually thought to invite him.

Staring into my room, I sigh as I gaze at the pink wallpaper. I don’t think there’s anything wrong with the color, it’s just not my favorite. My wardrobe is filled with pastels that also wash me out, and I wonder if my mother secretly hates me. That’s the only reason I can imagine why she’d do this.

Sighing, I walk inside and shut the door behind me as I toss my heels to the side. Ugh, I never want to wear those shoes again. Biting my lip, I lock the door, because I’m not comfortable in this big house yet.

The party is still raging on, but Bee and I are tired and done. I hope she doesn’t mind if I slip up and call her that because it’s cute and suits her.

I think I like her. I’m excited to call her my friend, and she said that the high school we’re going to has decent people in it. Everyone tends to go to the same private schools here as they grow up, so they’re all tight. I hope I don’t stick out too much.

Making sure the curtains are drawn, I pull down the zipper on my dress, breathing a sigh of relief as I get out of the tiered monstrosity of lace and tulle. While it wasn’t as hot as some nights, I’m still glad to be out of it.

Hanging it up as I stick my tongue out at it, I look down at myself with a frown. I feel as if I look like a beanpole, and my side is now beginning to turn black and blue where Mom pinched me.

While I’ve been getting my period monthly, my body hasn’t developed or changed in any other way. Bee has curves and breasts, which gives me a twinge of jealousy.

“I refuse to be jealous of my friend for something she can’t control,” I grumble as I stop into the bathroom. It’s nice to have an en-suite, because I don’t want to dash across the hall in a house this size.

Bee’s soft where I’m bony, and even though she’s short, it doesn’t seem to bother her. She has a confidence I haven’t seemed to be able to master.

Turning on the water, I pull all the pins out of my hair, groaning softly as the pressure of them against my scalp releases.

As my brown curls drop down my back, I pull off the training bra and panties. My eyes drop to the pretty necklace Jack bought me that looks like the flower I’m named after. It’s the only present I got for my birthday, which makes it incredibly special.

Making sure to take it off, I lay it out on the vanity so I can make sure it’s safe. Stepping into the shower, I think about how fun it was to dance with Bee tonight, and how I was able to avoid my mother for most of the night.

I feel little bubbles of joy just being around her, and I’ve never felt anything like that before.

At school, I didn’t pay much attention to the kids there, and I didn’t feel attracted to any of them either. Girls or boys.

Ummm. This is bad, right?

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